As the end credits on "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" roll to a close, the producers extend their thanks to Iris Stevenson, whose story, they note, provided the inspiration for the film. On the face of it, however, Stevenson bears little resemblance to the lounge-singer-turned-nun-impersonator played by Whoopi Goldberg. Nor does the movie, which opens in Los Angeles on Friday, closely parallel Stevenson's life.

"Back to School for Inspiration," by Elaine Dutka (Dec. 5), was a remarkable article about Los Angeles music teacher Iris Stevenson, whose life story has helped inspire the new film "Sister Act 2." I was most struck by this statement from producer Dawn Steel: "What sets Iris Stevenson apart is her success in a system that in no way supports her--with the hardest possible children to convert." I thank The Times for spreading the word about just how tough it is to be that music teacher, working miracles every day with kids in her choir, band, keyboard and theory classes: Nearly every spring Stevenson receives a notice that she might lose her job. Isn't it ironic that it seems to take a Whoopi Goldberg film to bring home the message that school music can exert a powerful influence on children?

"Back to School for Inspiration," by Elaine Dutka (Dec. 5), was a remarkable article about Los Angeles music teacher Iris Stevenson, whose life story has helped inspire the new film "Sister Act 2." I was most struck by this statement from producer Dawn Steel: "What sets Iris Stevenson apart is her success in a system that in no way supports her--with the hardest possible children to convert." I thank The Times for spreading the word about just how tough it is to be that music teacher, working miracles every day with kids in her choir, band, keyboard and theory classes: Nearly every spring Stevenson receives a notice that she might lose her job. Isn't it ironic that it seems to take a Whoopi Goldberg film to bring home the message that school music can exert a powerful influence on children?

As the end credits on "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" roll to a close, the producers extend their thanks to Iris Stevenson, whose story, they note, provided the inspiration for the film. On the face of it, however, Stevenson bears little resemblance to the lounge-singer-turned-nun-impersonator played by Whoopi Goldberg. Nor does the movie, which opens in Los Angeles on Friday, closely parallel Stevenson's life.

Europeans were singing the praises of Crenshaw High School's Elite Choir after its recent whirlwind tour of the Continent, where it packed concert halls and churches from the banks of the Rhine to the City of Light. In its last performance of the two-week tour, beneath the flying buttresses of Paris' American Cathedral, the blue-robed choir lifted every voice in a city better known for haute couture than down-home harmonizing.

SCHOOL shootings. A spike in gang warfare. Budget cuts in education. Youth in Southern California have it pretty rough these days and Iris Stevenson is weary from it all. As the director of the Crenshaw High School Elite Choir -- an award-winning, globe-trotting youth gospel group -- she recently lost one of her young male singers to a random shooting. "I believe we have to stop the violence," she says. "And the more we know about one another, the less we're going to spend time fighting one another."

Europeans were singing the praises of Crenshaw High School's Elite Choir after its recent whirlwind tour of the Continent, where it packed concert halls and churches from the banks of the Rhine to the City of Light. In its last performance of the two-week tour, beneath the flying buttresses of Paris' American Cathedral, the blue-robed choir lifted every voice in a city better known for haute couture than down-home harmonizing.

Iris Stevenson, fresh from a gospel music tour, was vacationing in Los Angeles when a fellow churchgoer told her that the once-heralded music program at Crenshaw High School needed a new mentor. The school's popular music teacher had recently died, and Stevenson--with two decades of experience teaching, composing and performing, and a reputation that stretched across the country--seemed a natural successor. She wavered.

Parents, students and community members rallied Friday in front of Crenshaw High School against the removal of the school's longtime choir director, who was reassigned while under investigation by the Los Angeles Unified School District. Iris Stevenson, who leads Crenshaw's award-winning choir, was removed from the school in December and is reporting to work at district offices - often called “teacher jails” - that house instructors who are facing allegations of misconduct. District officials would not comment on the specific allegations, citing privacy laws.

As more than 50 music, TV and film performers gathered in a Fairfax area recording studio Wednesday night to tape the chorus of a song of unity in wake of the Los Angeles riots, Kid Frost held a can of red spray paint and bent over a wood plank in the alley behind the studio. The East L.A. rapper, who has championed pride in his Latino heritage in his two albums, painted the song's title, "City of Fallen Angels," on the plank, graffiti style--flames dancing around the words.

After Comic Relief VI, the whole country is probably suffering from an overdose of Bobbittuates. The Comic Relief benefits--Saturday's raised a record $6.4 million by the time it signed off its nationwide telecast from the Shrine Auditorium--have always sought to straddle the line between supplying laughs, and lots of them, and sensitively underscoring the plight of the nation's homeless.

The original "Sister Act" was the most unexpected of blockbusters. Its director had no special comedy reputation, its dissatisfied writer opted for a pseudonym, and its star was not exactly bursting with confidence in the project. So much for the collective wisdom of Hollywood. But while the industry's sagacity may be open to question, Hollywood can't be accused of a reluctance to pounce on success and attempt to duplicate it.